


With a Little Help

by aeriamamaduck



Series: Dragon Age II [2]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Babysitting, Fatherhood, M/M, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-18
Updated: 2015-08-18
Packaged: 2018-04-15 09:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4601451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeriamamaduck/pseuds/aeriamamaduck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Garrett's a determined man, but exhaustion forces him to take a rest and depend on Fenris, who ventures into new territory.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With a Little Help

In the days following their first meeting, Fenris often thought that he and Garrett would perhaps come to do battle, not really trusting the human much in spite of how he had assisted him.

Years later Fenris found himself locked in battle with Garrett: a battle of wills.

There was more stubbornness and honor in one Fereldan man than in the entirety of the Free Marches, and while Fenris loved Garrett for it, at times it exasperated him. Such as when he was trying to keep said stubborn Fereldan in his bed after having him nearly fall asleep on his feet in the Hanged Man earlier that afternoon.

Pure and simple exhaustion, Anders had said. And no wonder, since Garrett was wearing himself out every day running around trying to keep the city from falling apart and ensuring he returned home to take care of his daughter, who had lived with him for a fortnight.

Between all of that and the time he spent with Fenris, the elf doubted Garrett had taken a single moment for himself or to even eat a proper meal. Small wonder he was dangerously close to passing out.

Everyone said the same thing: Hawke needed rest. Garrett, true to form, rebelled almost immediately, but Fenris eventually dragged him back to the estate and into his bed.

Garrett was glaring at him from the bed, body tense and not restful at all. “You can’t seriously expect me to just lie here and do nothing.”

Fenris stood over him, his arms crossed over his chest. “You’re right. I don’t. I expect you to sleep for a few hours.”

Garrett shook his head and replied, “I have a dozen things to do today  _and_ I have a baby to take care of. I can’t just fall asleep!”

Placing restraining hands on Garrett’s shoulders, Fenris ensured he stayed put. “You do know there are other people in this house who are capable of caring for one infant?”

“Orana and Bodahn barely get a break from Lia as it is!”

The elf narrowed his eyes. “You assume I am not capable of taking care of your child.”

Garrett gave one of those long, patient sighs that proved somewhat irritating. “Sorry, it’s just you’ve never shown particular interest in child care until I brought Lia here.”

Fenris glared impatiently at the fireplace. “Then I suppose I will have to show interest. Lia is your daughter, and therefore as important to me as you are. You can trust me.”

The human seemed to sag sadly against his pillows, and closed his sunken eyes. “Fine. How can I say no to those big green eyes of yours? But please, if  _anything_  is amiss, just…call for me. Or I could just keep her in here–”

 _“No,”_  Fenris half-growled. “You are not to get out of this bed. I mean it.” He was about to leave but reconsidered and added with a softening of his tone, “I could remain until you fall asleep.”

“No it’s fine,” Garrett replied in defeat, turning on his side and pulling the blanket up higher. “I doubt I’ll sleep anyway. Lia’s going to start crying in three, two…”

Fenris walked out of the room, shutting the door and taking a deep breath to steady himself. He truly hoped Garrett listened to him and rested. He had a tendency to neglect his wellbeing in favor of others, and Fenris had recently learned that this was not new behavior. According to Aveline there was a time when Garrett would go days without eating properly, opting to ensure his mother and sister ate.

He shuddered inwardly at that as he removed his gauntlets, pauldrons, and chestplate, placing them on the floor beneath the old Amell crest. The thought of Garrett in such a weakened state frightened him. Fenris determined that if Garrett could help him shoulder his burdens, then he would do so too.

And then Lia began to cry.

Fenris closed his eyes, breathed again, and made his way down the stairs to the main sitting room.

Orana was sitting on the floor next to the wicker basket where Lia lay, anxiously peering at the wailing girl’s face. “Forgive me, Messere,” she exclaimed when she saw Fenris. “I’ll quiet her down.”

“No need,” he replied, crouching next to the frazzled-looking girl. “I can look after her for now.”

Orana watched, wide-eyed, as he lifted the fussy girl into his arms with little trouble. “Are you certain? It’s truly no trouble.”

Fenris shifted Lia in his arms the way Garrett had showed him, trying to not stiffen immediately when she started to wriggle. “Hawke needs to rest and you and Bodahn are occupied enough with the cooking and Sandal. I am happy to help.”

Brow wrinkling apprehensively for a moment, Orana glanced off to the side. “Well…I suppose I could use the time to make Messere Hawke his favorite chicken and rice soup. Sandal can join me in the market!” She sounded excited at the prospect.

Remembering to ensure Lia felt secure and supported, Fenris moved his hands until the baby fell still. He was a little relieved until Orana got to her feet. “Thank you so much, Messere.”

“Will she need anything?”

“I fed and cleaned her right before you two arrived, so I think she should be fine for an hour or two.”

 _An hour?_  He looked down at Lia, who was partly responsible for Garrett’s exhaustion. He decided to not doubt Orana’s word on the frequency of feedings and cleaning.

An hour later Fenris sat in front of the fireplace in the library, vigilant as Lia crawled about on the floor. Her eyes wandered all over the room, wide and curious. Fenris recalled Garrett excitedly pulling him into the room so he could see Lia’s first attempts at crawling, which seemed to be a relief considering the difficult start she’d had in terms of nutrition and growth.

Then she grew tired of movement and began to cry. Fenris grew nervous for a moment, but he neither wanted to disturb Orana or Bodahn or wake Garrett up. He supposed Garrett had truly fallen asleep, because the man would not have stayed in his bedroom otherwise.

“All right, let’s get you fed,” he told her quietly as he gathered her in his arms. Garrett made a point of never speaking to her in a childish tone, as he’d heard many people do to their children, so Fenris would follow his example in this.

Bodahn and Orana were chattering happily as they worked in the kitchen, Sandal quietly humming an unrecognizable tune as he ate a radish.

The other elf turned at the sound of his entrance. “Does she need to be fed?”

“I can take care of that,” Fenris replied, pouring the warm milk in the small ceramic bowl and carrying it back out along with Lia.

She swallowed hungrily, and Fenris was careful to not tilt the bowl too much. He remembered to place her against his shoulder, cupping his hand to gently drum her small back and praying she did not vomit.

Thankfully she did not. Just a tiny belch that made him chuckle, that is until he caught the smell a few minutes later.

Once that dragon was slain, Fenris found himself still sitting on the couch in the library, Lia lying on her basket beside him while she played with his fingers and he read Varric’s asinine serials. He made sure to keep clear of her mouth, as Garrett had warned him that she had a milk tooth coming in. He was tired, but knew it was a mere fraction of the exhaustion Garrett suffered.

At the sound of Orana’s soft hums from the other room, Fenris looked up to find that the sun was setting. He was surprised to see that quite a few hours had passed since he put Garrett to bed. That had to mean he was sleeping restfully.

Closing his book he picked Lia up, unable to resist a small smile at the tiny coo she let out. “Come,” he said to her in Tevene. “Let’s see if your father hasn’t fooled us all and escaped out the window the second I turned my back.”

Fortunately Garrett was still in bed, face half-buried in his pillow as he breathed deeply, completely relaxed. Fenris sighed in relief, glad to see that Garrett had taken these few hours for himself. He took on far too much, even if the entire group still managed to help him.

He sat on what Garrett had declared to be his side of the bed, holding Lia close to him, and reached out to slowly card his hands through Garrett’s thick black hair. His face showed such peace, he could have been the same man Fenris met in that alienage years before.

His gentle strokes slowly woke Garrett up, and those golden eyes traveled up to Fenris’s face as those lovely lips turned up in a smile. “What a nice surprise,” he murmured. “She’s left you in one piece.”

Fenris rolled his eyes. “We have an agreement, Lia and I. How are you feeling? Did you sleep well?”

Garrett turned on his back and stretched languorously, Fenris able to hear the crick of bones returning to proper alignment. “Maker, I doubted I’d be able to, but as soon as my head hit the pillow I was a goner. I almost feel like a new man.”

“Good. Dinner’s almost prepared. I believe Orana and Bodahn have outdone themselves.”

Garrett gave him a delighted smile as he sat up. “Really? I knew I smelled chicken and rice. Can I see my girl?”

Fenris handed her over, watching as Garrett kissed the dark curls on her head. He murmured, “Did you miss me, Birdie?”

“Really? You’re letting Varric’s nickname stick?”

“Well, she  _is_  a little Hawke.”

“Unbelievable.” Fenris nonetheless stroked her back, still smiling. “You really should let me help you more often. It worries me when you tax yourself so.”

Garrett’s smile faltered momentarily. “I know. It’s just…hard to tell myself to slow down, or even admit that I’m getting older. The headaches are bad enough.”

“You are  _not_ getting older,” Fenris said firmly. “You just tire yourself out to the point of exhaustion. Ask Orana if you must, but I was perfectly able to care for Lia on my own.”

“And I am eternally grateful for that,” Garrett said before leaning in to brush their lips together. “I’m grateful for so many things.”

Fenris pressed his lips to Garrett’s bare shoulder, closing his eyes and breathing in the soft, clean scent from the blanket.


End file.
